That should be included in device cost. It is unacceptable that they prevent users who paid for the device from installing programs outside of apples walled garden
Microsoft used to boast that they made more money from Apple systems than Apple did. Google does that to Android device makers today.
If platform makers don’t extract rent, or compete with the developers they court, they will look for other sources of revenue to stay profitable. I would be aghast if Apple hardware came loaded with the kind of Junkware I recall from the years I bought Windows hardware.
The neglect of the mac app store feels of a piece with their utter neglect of the mac platform. They seem to be treating it as a runout.